Suspended SAPS deputy commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya has conceded that the wife of alleged cartel leader Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala became intoxicated at his son’s engagement party, but he continues to deny any close ties to the tender tycoon .
The admission at the Madlanga Commission on Monday drew attention to Sibiya’s relationship with Matlala and raised fresh questions about transparency at the highest levels of policing .
The Engagement Party
The engagement party, held at Sibiya’s Midrand home on September 24, 2024, is now central to the commission’s probe into alleged criminal infiltration of the justice system .
Sibiya confirmed that both Matlala and his wife attended the event. He also acknowledged that Matlala’s wife drank excessively that evening. Yet despite the encounter, Sibiya insisted he and Matlala were not friends .
“I never denied speaking to him,” Sibiya told commissioners. “But we are not friends” .
Initially, Sibiya testified that he had only met Matlala for the first time earlier in 2024 and had spoken to him telephonically “at most three times.” However, questioning by commissioners suggested a more involved connection than first disclosed .
Contradicting Testimony
Co-commissioner Sesi Baloyi put it bluntly: in her view, Sibiya “clearly” had a relationship with Matlala. Sibiya pushed back .
He denied inviting Matlala’s wife and suggested she had been brought to the party by colleagues, including acting deputy national commissioner for crime detection Lieutenant-General Khosi Senthumule .
But Senthumule, in her own testimony, disputed that version. According to a statement read into the record, Senthumule said she attended the event with a colleague because she did not trust Sibiya. She described their professional relationship as “ever-changing” and said she felt uncomfortable going alone .
“I would either take my younger sister or a friend,” Senthumule said in her statement. “In this instance, I took Major-General Thema … I informed her that I was actually uncomfortable going to this event because of the ever-changing nature of my relationship with Sibiya” .
Baloyi put it directly to Sibiya: Senthumule’s version does not support the claim that she brought Mrs Matlala to the party .
Sibiya appeared resigned. “I am going to say something here, that no matter what I say, I don’t see changing the attitude of the commissioners in relation to my involvement in this thing,” he responded .
Why Not Call Matlala Directly?
Further inconsistencies emerged around how Sibiya handled the situation when Matlala’s wife allegedly became intoxicated .
Baloyi questioned why Sibiya did not contact Matlala directly that night, choosing instead to communicate through a third party, referred to as Witness F, who was not even present at the event .
Sibiya said it was not his practice to communicate with Matlala directly and denied that Witness F acted as a go-between. At one point, he said he did not want to have Matlala’s number saved on his phone. Baloyi suggested he could have obtained the number from his own wife. Sibiya maintained he did not speak to Matlala’s wife and had not invited her .
Earlier, Sibiya testified that he did not personally greet Matlala at the gate when he arrived. “There was no greeting … I bumped into him,” he said. “It’s not like I was seeing him for the first time. We greeted, and then he went and joined his wife” .
Omissions in Testimony
But co-commissioner Advocate Sandile Khumalo pointed out that Sibiya’s original statement to the commission made no mention of Matlala attending the party at all .
“You don’t mention that there was an occasion where he was invited to your house and there was a party, and he did attend,” Khumalo said. “Why does it have to come by way of a supplementary statement?” .
Khumalo pressed further: when someone comes to your home for the first time, do you not greet and welcome them? Sibiya disagreed. “It’s not how it happens in all instances, especially under conditions like those,” he replied .
WhatsApp Messages Reveal More
WhatsApp chats between Sibiya and Sergeant Fannie Nkosi (Witness F) revealed the relationship. In one message on the morning of September 14, 2024, Sibiya texted Nkosi to tell “Cat” to “make a turn” .
Evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim questioned Sibiya on what “make a turn” meant. Sibiya claimed Matlala had to fetch his wife, who was tipsy and couldn’t drive. However, Hassim pointed out that the message was sent early in the morning, long before Mrs Matlala could have had too much to drink .
“I put it to you that your interpretation is not believable,” said Hassim .
Commission chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga was also unconvinced. “To an ordinary reader, that sounds like you were inviting Mr Matlala. The idea that he was picking up his wife, who had had a lot of liquor, does not make much sense. You were inviting him,” Madlanga said .
Sibiya replied: “I said, ‘Ask Cat to make a turn,’ and as far as I am concerned, there was nothing wrong” .
The Impala Allegations
The WhatsApp records also showed Witness F facilitated communication between Sibiya and Matlala in March 2024 for the delivery of antelope or impala to the top cop’s plot in Midrand. The impala were allegedly purchased by Matlala for Sibiya .
“I categorically deny that I acquired or received any impalas from Matlala or any other person for that matter. No animal was ever delivered to my plot,” Sibiya said .
Sibiya told the commission the animals were never delivered because he wanted blesbok, not impala. His rejection was also because he did not want to receive something from a SAPS service provider, as Matlala’s company, Medicare24, was a bidder in a R360 million SAPS health services tender at the time .
However, a supplementary affidavit from Lieutenant-General Hilda Senthumule contradicted him. WhatsApp messages between Sibiya and Senthumule revealed Sibiya sent pictures of about two antelope (impala) on March 27, 2024, saying they died that day .
In his statement, Sibiya said his last antelope died in November 2023. He later accepted that antelope are referred to as impala by some people .
“You are not being truthful in your statement when you say the last [antelope] died in November 2023 and you never had them after that,” Baloyi said .
Sibiya then changed his version, claiming he purchased four antelope on his own through his gardener in 2024, but this was not included in his statement. He said he did not have his gadgets and had little time to fact-check the statement before it was sent to the commission .
Commissioner Khumalo quizzed Sibiya on his statement having stated he did not “acquire or receive any impala from Matlala or any other person for that matter.”
“If you say you did not acquire impalas from anybody that means you did not acquire impalas,” Khumalo said .
Sibiya said the omission was not deliberate but was due to dealing with a lot of probes against him, including a labour case at work .
Relationship or Not?
Baloyi put it to Sibiya that from the accepted evidence it is “clear you had a relationship” with Matlala, whether it was close or not. She cited the impala delivery and Sibiya inviting Matlala to his house during his son’s engagement party .
Sibiya accepted that he interacted with Matlala but resisted describing it as a relationship .
On Tuesday, Sibiya continued to defend his decision to invite Matlala to his son’s engagement party. He claimed he didn’t feel it was a conflict of interest to have Matlala at his home, as he was not directly involved in awarding Matlala’s tender .
“I may not have a deep knowledge in terms of what the standing orders or the regulations are saying, specifically in relation to who, in fact, can be invited and who can not, and under what circumstances,” Sibiya said .
Cash Allegations
Members of the KwaZulu-Natal political killings task team alleged Matlala, during an informal arrest, told them he gave about R500,000 in cash to Sibiya during his son’s engagement party .
Sibiya denied receiving money and told the commissioners his family had put together the money for the surprise engagement party. He further described the recording of the police officers and Matlala as “false evidence,” adding that Matlala said his voice was “AI-generated” .
Arrest Warrant for Blogger
Sibiya also denied instructing Witness F to share a warrant of arrest for controversial blogger Musa Khawula with Matlala. Witness F’s testimony stated that the arrest warrant for Khawula would be effected by Matlala Security Services .
When probed about this, Sibiya referred to clubs Matlala and Khawula frequented as “after 9” clubs .
Sibiya continues his testimony before the commission.
